For me, it is Nick Cave and The Bas Seeds (which is not out yet in the Us, or hust released)
I've heard the Drive-By Truckers once and it's very very interesting. A potential grower.
Then there is Vampire WE, the critics' favorite (who said critics liked Costello because they look like Costello ?). It's not bad at all, but behind those two for me.

I've reviewed Nick Cave and I'll do The DB Truckers soon on a site but it's in french.

nicolas, I haven't heard much of this year, due to my holiday. So far, I've heard Duffy, Vampire Weekend and Portishead, but need more listening to judge on those. First impression: okay, not super duper.

Vampire Weekend was ok, nothing too great. Drive-By Truckers had some great moments, but also some bad moments.. and with 19 songs I didn't think that was necessary. Bon Iver is the best album of the year so far for me, but I haven't listened to Nick Cave yet.

Vampire Weekend is the best album not only of 2008 so far. If you added all of 2007, I think it would still win.

Mine is Goldfrapp, which took me by surprise somewhat. Much more like their first album, 'Felt Mountain', than their more recent electro-pop. Ethereal elegance galore, I love it. Also liking Nick Cave, Vampire Weekend, British Sea Power, Hot Chip, Constantines, with high hopes for upcoming ones from Guillemots, Elbow and a few others.

Portishead's Third will be my favourite if the leaked copy isn't the official version.

This thread should be called "best album you’ve downloaded without rightfully compensating the artist".

Not impressed.

Nick cave has the best, but Bon Iver is a real grower

Vampire Weekend and Stephen Malkmus. I'm torn between which is better so I'll call it a tie.

I still need to listen to the Drive By Truckers album but I usually like them.

Anthony, I think a good portion of us buy records. I know some have openly said they don't, but just as many have talked about going to a record store and buying an album. I bought Vampire Weekend on vinyl last week (which came with three free digital downloads of the album ) and pay 10 dollars a month to Rhapsody. I'm not sure how much artists get compensated for subscription plans. Either way, I think people who buy albums they like are in the majority on this forum.

My favourite album of the year so far is "The seventh tree" by Goldfrapp. A very good return to form after two crappy electro-clash records.
But some awaited albums are gonna be released in the 4 next week : Guillemots, Roger Joseph Mannig Jr., Jim Noir and Bryan Scary. Later in the string there will be new albums from Spiritualized and My Morning Jacket.
So my top albums of 2008 is subject to some changes.

Anthony's cranky today...

Vampire Weekend is the only album I've bought this year, so it wins by default. It's OK.

(I also only bought one new album last year: Sound of Silver. Although I have heard In Rainbows. Your new music maven I'm not.)

Accelerate drops on April 1. (And I just realized that the single already out, "Supernatural Superserious," is at least partly about S&M. Oh boy...)

I’m actually in a good mood today, believe it or not. I’m soon to be the beneficiary of a larger-than-expected tax return, so I can go buy the records that everyone else isn’t.

I hate to generalize, but I just can’t help but analogize this to a bunch of thieves standing around, waxing critical about their favorite new TVs. (I’m reminded of an acquaintance who knows cinema inside and out, but doesn’t buy a single movie. His knowledge is impressive, but he’s not even supporting the industry that creates the products he loves so much).

I should probably be more forward-thinking for a 26 year-old, but the musician in me cringes at the thought of mass file-sharing, which I know a few here are engaged in regularly.

In case you need more free stuff...

http://www.tv-links.cc/

courtesy of the chinese internet...

Dude...paranoid much?

I only bought one CD--but I went out and bought the damn thing. I can't speak for anyone else.

Not paranoid, just an idealist (well, when it comes to this forum at least).

In everyt other facet of my life, I'm a realist (which basically explains my chronic pessimism). I need to apply that realism to this place.

Fair enough. I just realized (in another forum) that I'm an optimistic realist.

Not an easy thing to be...

Anthony, consider Odessey & Oracle the best therapy for chronic pessimists.

Downloaded it, listened to it and ordered it. Not there yet, still eagerly staring at my mailbox each morning ...

That makes me feel a bit better. Thanks Andre.

Back to the subject at hand.
1) Vampire Weekend
2) Stephen Malkmus
3) Drive-By Truckers

Worst
1) The Mars Volta
2) The Black Crowes

The new Black Keys album is pretty good IMO...

It's close.

Drive By Truckers and Vampire Weekend.

After that, Magnetic Fields, Shelby Lynne, Erykah Badu.

I've only bought 3 new albums this year, as I've been busy with the move. I'd rate them as follows:

Janet Jackson- Discipline: ****

She's finally come back to releasing some great uptempo tracks. Lead single "Feedback" is utterly addictive, and the follow-up "Rock With U" is even better! Unfortunately, the slow cuts aren't as tight this time around, but overall, I'm really enjoying it.

Hot Chip- Made in the Dark: ***1/2

Although there are several tracks that I enjoy, there are some that just go by for me. Not as involving as The Warning. I was hoping that the brilliant "My Piano" would be a precursor to better things to come. Nevertheless, it's pretty solid.

Goldfrapp- Seventh Tree: unrated

I haven't given it a proper spin as I've been immersed in Janet, but it does disturb me that so many seem to dislike Supernature. To me, that was by far their best offering to date.

Not really wanting to kick off a debate on file-sharing but there is no comparison to stealing an actual item of property like a television or a car, the majority of file sharing is done by people who wouldn't buy that many records anyway (usually students and teenagers as well as the odd pick here and there downloader)and in most cases where blogs uploaded mp3's in a study conducted at NYU (https://archive.nyu.edu/handle/2451/23783) it was shown that the chatter from blogs was more likely to influence a record's sales more than an artist with many MySpace friends (for example)

The average person in the West buys about three CD albums a year, as someone who probably buys 10 a month on vinyl and CD as well as paying for b-side download not to mentioning a regular concert goer, merchandise buyer and magazine reader I've given plenty to the industry and will sleep fine tonight if occasionally get my hands on a album before release (outside my role as a freelance journalist where I get some anyway) if it's good I'll likely buy it, the more I listen to, the more I like therefore the more I buy.

I do have sympathy for the average musician but he shouldn't be going after music fans. The blame lies solely at the feet of the record companies, they buried their heads in the sand when bands started looking at the internet in the late 1990's, they tried to smash Napster into the ground instead of embracing it (and now they have 800 times as many potential p2p programmes, torrent sites and file uploading networks, mp3 bblogs. They can close one down but 3 will take it's place.) These aren't like the people who copy CD's to sell in dodgy markets, they are real criminals.

Secondly the record companies deserve scorn for making people re-buy their record collections again and again on different formats and re-issued tacky badge and a photograph etc. In their arrogance they marginalised the singles market by trying to force people to buy albums instead and it worked for a few years but they didn't bank on the fact that they were leaving out the new generation of music fans who come to loving music through the radio and singles as they can't afford albums. Now they have a whole generation who expect music for free (which of course is wrong to just give it no value) and don't know any different. Look at the way that music companies embraced YouTube, at first they started closing down copyright then Google bought it and they started uploading their own artists music. It's what should have done with MP3's.

What's been their solution (in the UK at least) of late? Give away music with weekend newspapers at a rate of 10 million albums a week (3 times the weekly amount sold in stores) cheapening it even more.

The artists will go round to becoming the masters of their own destiny again one can only hope, the likes of Radiohead, The Charlatans, NIN, Smashing Pumpkins, Crimea and so on have seen it makes them more money to eschew the record companies, good for them. But what about new artists you rightly cry? I agree non-established artists need record company investment so what is Guy Hands'(new head of EMI) idea? Sack A&R men and get more PR and marketing people.

Idiots.

Back to the subject; my favourite five records this year are

British Sea Power
Laura Marling
Vampire Weekend
The Ruby Suns
Envelopes

Rocky Raccoon,

Is the Black Crowes' album so bad (or is it that you don't like the Black crowes anyway ?)
I've heard a song and found it nor better neither worse than what they did back in the '90s.

Rocky Racoon,
I don't understand why you don't like the new Black Crowes record. It's not their best album but I think it's the best thing they've done since "Amorica".
While all the boring indie-rock bands nowadays try to sound like Talking Heads, I think it's refreshing to hear some good rock'n'roll bands like the Black Crowes.

So Dumbangel, if you haven't already, listen to the Drive-by Truckers.
they're a very good band and they play what used tobe known as rock'n roll.
ANd with great lyrics and songwriting.

Nicolas and Dumb Angel,

It's not that I hate the new Black Crowes album, it's just that in comparison to the other albums I've heard this year so far, it's the second worst. In quantifiable terms I'd probably give it 2 1/2 stars out of 5.

I quite like the band in general, but have always found them overly derivative. That's certainly the case for me with Warpaint. The song I like best on the new album is "Goodbye Daughters of the Revolution," and if that's the song you're talking about Nicolas, then yeah, it is pretty good. But I don't think the rest are as good.

Dumb Angel, just like Nicolas, I'd also recommend the Drive-By Truckers. Although, I'd start with Decoration Day before their new one. To me, it's their definitive album.

Thank you for the DBT recommandation. I'm gonna give it a listen.

Yeah, I've just been listening to it this morning
It's a good album, nothing extraordinary though (no great great songs) but refreshing. And they must be excellent live : 3 guitarists, just like Skynyrd or Wilco, but in fact they sound like The Rolling Stones 1971-72 (this mix of rnr, country and r&b).
It's tagged as "southern rock" in the States but here in Europe it doesn't mean too much (it's not far from the Jayhawks who were from Minnesota, I didn't know that until John told me)
Sorry I'm just trying to put my ideas together for that review I've got to do of this album on the french site www.etat-critique.com

Nicolas, just read your review of the last Cave album and was great!! Please don’t be afraid to post your reviews in French in the Forum, or at least put a link for making them available to the people that understand French.
By the way, I wonder how you find the time to sleep with such a frantic activity in AM Forum and other forums as well.

Nick Cave was my first review for this site, they liked it and DBT will be my second.
In fact I don't go to a lot of forums. I'm faithful to AM
And I have another secret : I'm planning to quit my current job as soon as i find another one (with my boss knowing it) so I allow myself a few breaks sometimes...

The new Destroyer is out and yesterday, I heard a few songs from it. Not too bad ... not bad at all! I like their album Destroyer's Rubies from 2006, and maybe the new one, Trouble In Dreams, is gonna be even better?!

I'm curious about the new R.E.M., Accelerate, should be out end of this month and supposedly have a fuller guitar sound, a bit like Monster II. They are my favorite album band (I'm working on a personal artist ranking based on songs as well), but that's based on their albums up to New Adventures. Without Bill Berry, they seem to have become a 'lesser' R.E.M.

I'd put the new Destroyer as slightly less good as the last one. more accessible though so that should help with swelling the fanbase.

The R.E.M. is certainly a return to the sound of the IRS years and there are a few really good songs on it but mainly it sounds like a recent U2 album, a bunch of old men whose experimental albums annoyed large elements of their fanbase and they are trying to win them back by making a retro record. It adds nothing to their cannon to be honest.

Thanks for that info, Mitchell. I'll give both of them the benefit of the doubt and try to get a hold of the music.

The Destroyer is good, don't get me wrong. I just thought the last one was very good that's all.

I'm maybe being harsh on the REM. If you are a big fan anyway you'll probably dig it. It could have been a lot worse.

I'm one of the few people not looking forward to the new Destroyer album it seems, I really did not like Rubies.

Just finished listening to Nick Cave, of who I am not a huge fan either (although he's made some good music at times), and it's quite good. Not great, but an improvement from Grinderman at least.

I think Bejar's masterpiece as Destroyer is This Night and I don't think anything he's done since that is anywhere near it. They're ok but I think that's one of the best albums of the decade.

I've bought the Bon Iver album and I really love it.

I'm fed up with all these overrated artists like New Pornographers and Destroyer. Every time they commit a record, everybody is excited and call it "masterpiece !". F**k that !

Stuff happens.

Mind if I start complaining about how every band that is popular that I don't like is overrated? It looks like fun.

I already kind of do it with U2, but they're way more highly rated than the New Pornographers and Destroyer who only have a moderate sized subculture following most of whom only throw in the bottom halves of their top tens every year, and very few of whom liked Challengers anyway...

So, umm... (Insert the name of every band other people put in their best of lists here) is OVERRATED! I can't believe people like that trash!

Does anyone know the actual release dates for Laura Marling and Gnarls Barkley? Amazon says 3/25 for both but other sites don't corroborate.

I still prefer owning CDs, because if I'm going to pay $10+ for something I'd like it not to be erasable by a magnet or a bad computer crash. So I have to wait for all the physical release dates instead of getting things as soon as they leak.

I don't have a problem with downloading because you're just poor or to sample an artist's wares, but the people who do it instead of paying money for it, it's basically the same debate as 'Is using an illegal hookup to get free cable stealing?'

I Agree. I Hate people who download music, and I could care less if I offend. It's cheaper? - Cry me a river and save an extra 5 bucks.

Buying a physical copy of something is tradition in the music business. It's something you can take with you, carry in your pocket and listen to in your car with exceptional qaulity.

Itunes is not only ruining music, but there ruining the ALBUM.

For artist we take seriously, you buy a complete work of art. YOU DONT BUY HALF A PICTURE DO YOU??? The artist made it as a whole and if you cant appreciate it, then DIE

I don't think I've bought a '08 album yet. Some years ago I always had the newest and the freshest albums at home, but I've lost it now. I've bought a couple of '07 albums, and Ungdomskulen's Cry-Baby is my favourite so far.

The year is just starting my friend.

Nick Cave has a great album that demands a listening.
Bon Iver's debut is great as well
She and Him - Volume 1 I just pruchased today and was quite pleased.

I Dont suggest the VAMPIRE WEEKEND album like most on here are doing. I find it a little Gay, And I dont mean that in an offensive way. I Just cant think of another word for it. But Elton John has made straighter stuff.

Never have I thought that VWE album is gay
And what if it was ?

there are wonderful gay albums : Soft Cell's Erotic Caberet, the first Rufus Wainwright are the first two that come to my mind

There's just no edge musically. Did you see them live on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. That was TERRIBLE

Gnarls Barkley is available now on iTunes and out on Tuesday (same as The Raconteurs album). Not sure when Laura Marling's album is out in the US but it's been out here a month or so. I bought the songbox version which comes in a box and included a number of trinkets and a gig ticket for earlier this month. Doubt that will be replicated in the US.

Level headed commentary there from Kevin. You want everyone who downloads music to die, very pleasant. I've never used iTunes but like to download b-sides from vinyl singles that I can't get hold of (because I can't visit the Rough Trade shop in London every week.) from sights like 7digital. I also have bought seven CD albums, twenty two 7" singles, a 10" EP and a CD EP, five CD singles, 12 vinyl albums, two 12" singles, two t-shirts direct from the artist, a poster and been to ten gig and downloaded £30 worth of b-sides and hard to find singles.

Look at me kill the music industry.

Kevin, the music industry always revolved around the single and it's considered their biggest mistake phasing the single out and pushing albums.

I really like the new Duke Spirit and the Goldfrapp record is sounding better and better. I'm alreading loving Hercules and Love Affair and Does it Offend You, Yeah? I think the Buck Brothers have a new one out too. It sounds pretty decent. I also like the Switches record.

I've listened to a little bit of the Destroyer album and I'm really liking it. It sounds more like his earlier stuff.

Devotion by Beach House is the best of this year, so far.

Just listened to the new R.E.M. album, and it's very good indeed. Their best in 16 years I'd say.

And yes Anthony, I will buy it too.

Yes, R.E.M. really rock again, but better than New Adventures? Too soon to judge on that, have to listen to it some more.

Three months almost over, and this is my top5 so far:

1. R.E.M. - Accelerate
2. Fleet Foxes - Ragged Wood
3. Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
4. Destroyer - Trouble In Dreams
5. Sheryl Crow - Detours
Bubbling under: Erykah Badu.

And regarding songs, I like Mercy from Duffy. Is that considered a guilty pleasure or not? Just sounds 'lekker'.

Yeah, I think it's better than New Adventures too. Of course it'll require a few more listens, but it's really an album with a lot of "likability" that you like in 1 go but doesn't really grow or falter afterwards. But I could be wrong.

1) Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago
2) R.E.M. - Accelerate
3) Drive-By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark
4) Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!
5) Vampire Weekend - Vampire Weekend

And that's also all the albums I've heard of 2008.

1) Drive-By Truckers
2) Nick Cave
3) Vampire Weekend
4) Cat Power - Jukebox
5) Jazz Liberatorz - Clin d'oeil

Yes, before the Easter weekend I had only listened to about 5 albums too. But with all this snow and other bad weather going on, you just skip the egg search and sit back, have a hot chocolate and dig into some new music.

Haven't heard of Bon Iver yet, must be something special, beating Accelerate ... and New Adventures.

I should add that I'm not a huge fan of "New Adventures In Hi-fi". And Accelerate is only a little bit better.

It's definitely a great comeback, but they're not on par with their earlier classics.

For my money, Accelerate is their best post-Bill Berry album, although I don't think it's as good as New Adventures, which was an odd album, but a very rich one. Accelerate is probably among their ten best albums, but that's as much as I'd claim for it.

And, as Stephan says, it's very accessible on first listen, which is unusual for them. I'll have to re-evaluate after the 50th listen (but that's a significant improvement on Around the Sun, which I only listened to 1.5 times).

In other news out of Athens, Georgia, does anybody know (or care) anything about the new B-52's album?

Has anybody heard the new M83 album "Saturdays = Youth" ?
I've listened to it a couple of times and it's a very fine record, it's probably going to be my favourite album from the band. It's more pop, more '80s, more melodic and more immediate.
But some early fans who like their shoegazing style may be disappointed by the new direction the band take. It's not my case, I love this new album

Here is my review of the Drive-By Truckers album.

Yes, it is in French...

Stephan, That's amazing. I've heard over 30 albums this year and that's probably my top 5 also (in a slightly different order), with the Stephen Malkmus album possibly sneaking in there somewhere. You must have a good album screener

Don't wanna be picky, but isn't Bon Iver's latest album from 2007, i.e. should not be in this year's lists?

According to RYM it was released already in July '07, so not even close to end of year ...

He released it independently in 2007 and it was rereleased by a record label in 2008. I don't think anyone heard it in 2007 though.

be your own PET Get Awkward is good fun! I have probably listened to this album more than any other released this year. It's a shame that the best songs from the album got cut from the US version because of "violence": Black Hole, Blow Yr Mind, and Becky. It's still great though!

Since we're updating, I'll go:

1) Vampire Weekend
2) R.E.M.
3) Stephan Malkmus
4) Drive-By Truckers
5) Nick Cave

I strongly recommend the album Why? - Alopecia. Its unlike anything I've heard before. The best I can describe it is Indie Hip-Hop. Regardless, it's one of the best albums I've heard this year.

The Nick Cave one is my fav. I've always liked Nick a lot.

I don't think it's one of his best, but it wins because of its sheerly cool anti-cool.

Hey Stephan, regarding Bon Iver, you're probably right about nobody having heard Bon Iver in 2007.

Last weekend I listened to Drive-By Truckers a couple of times. Sounds at least as good as their earlier albums, so ... is this gonna be their breakthrough? (like Boxer is The National's breakthrough?)

Anyway, listening to Three Dimes Down while flying over the 'Autobahn' rocks!

Supernatural by Goldfrapp was pretty good. It was a top 10 hit all over the world and it was a hit on the dancefloor. People don't like when "etheral" bands change their sound. Especially when it becomes a hit and garners a huge gay following in the case of Supernatural. With a newfound dance following you're bound to have fallouts.

I agree that Vampire Weekend is "ok" but I give it bonus points for not being pretentious.

Just because they arent trying to be pretensious, doesnt mean that they arent...lol.

They seem like a bunch of phonies. but not the kind that feels like there doing it on purpose, but because they all seem to have been raised into what they have become. A Bunch of University nerds trying to break the gay market in music.

I Unno maybe I'm wrong, but it seems a bit girly too me. I dont think the guys balls have yet to drop.

Maybe they just havent been exposed to the right artists yet. Let them chow down on some Bruce springsteen, Tom waits, Nick Drake, Flying burrito brothers, Velvet underground, pavement, and some early talking heads.

After they spin those records and get some ideas, they might be able to morph they're sound into something worth while.

I've listen to this album twice just trying to figure out everyones madness. easy replacement TALKING HEADS, ELVIS COSTELLO, or ELLIOT SMITH. There's lots there for most people to obsord before this.

I know I Know....But it's my opinion, say what you will

Duffy's Rockferry has assumed the throne on my list. Tantalizing!

Yes, Moonbeam, she's got a great voice. And I love the hit single 'Mercy'.

I think "Mercy" will end up being one of the top 5 most acclaimed songs of 2008 when all is said and done. The album is a pleasure. 10 songs and under 38 minutes, so it has good replay value!

Here's another one of my faves- "Stepping Stone"

Thanx moonbeam!

I just listened to "Stepping stone" for the very first time and I really, really liked it.

Happy to share! I heard it for the first time only Saturday, and it grabbed me immediately.

Kevin,

I'm a huge fan of Springsteen, Waits, Flying Burrito Brothers, Pavement, and early Talking Heads, but I'm also a huge fan of Vampire Weekend, certainly the album of the year so far for me (haven't heard the new REM). Girly music? Really--what, are we going to resort to schoolyard insults? Their lyrics are witt and perceptive, regarding a social stratus that is almost never presented in contemporary popular music (is a lot of the opposition to VW based on class resentment? I'd bet big that it is). The clean, Afro-influence guitar, the chamber music influences, the pleasingly clamorous drumming all give it a freshly distinctive, joyous sound. I think Christgau is right when he says that a lot of people reject VW because theirs is joyous music. "Happy" seems trivial. But though I love plenty of angry, downer music, I love Vampire Weekend. It's hard to see what's going to replace this as my album of the year. I guess it's early in the year, but I haven't played a new album so many times in such a short period of time as this one in ages.

Still utterly fail to see what about VW or their music is 'gay' in anyway at all.

I don't get the "gay" thing either re VW. Clearly the band is singing about women. Does it appeal more to gay people than straights? I have no idea, though I certainly know a lot of straight people who love the band. Not sure why it matters, but calling it "gay" just doesn't seem to fit.

By the way, I earlier called VW's music "joyous," and I it certainly is, but I don't want to overlook the fact that there is a range of moods on the album, at least lyrically. For instance, they sing of unrequited love and irritation with snobbery. But they don't mope about it.

It's more there sound, then there lyrics. His Voice is Irritating and there "afro beat" is like something that I could see soundtracking another justing and Kelly movie.

If you want politics and world Issues with your afro beats, I Suggest Life In The Bush of Ghost's by Eno and Byrne

I'm not apposed to Happy Music. I Love the beatles, Sufjan Stevens, Shins.

VP just aint that good. There just bringing back something most people never realised that we already had

Good to see you equating irritating and gay, very pleasant.

1)Nick cave & The Bad Seeds - Dig Lazarus dig 5/5
2)Drive By Truckers - Brighter Than Creation's Dark 4.5/5
3)R.E.M.- Accelerate 4/5
4)Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago - 4/5
5)British Sea Power - Do you like rock music -3.5/5
6)She and Him - Volume 1 - 3.5
7)Stephn Malkmus & The Jicks - 3.5/5
8)Sheryl Crow - Detours - 3.5/5
9)The Raconteurs - Consolers of the lonely 3.5/5
10)Cat Power - Covers II - 3.5/5
11)The Gutter Twins - 3.5/5
12)Black Mountain - In The Future - 3.5/5
13)Snarls Barkley - The Odd Couple - 3/5
14)The Mars Volta - Bedlam In Goliath- 3/5
15)Destroyer - Trouble In Dreams - 2.5/5
16)Magnetic Fields - Distortion - 2.5/5
17)Lenny Kravits - It's Time for a love revolution 2/5
18)Vampire Weekend - 2/5
19)Panic at The disco - Pretty Stupid...lol 1.5/5
20)The Black Crows - warpaint 1.5/5

10/10 - Amazing/Perfect - Only 25 albums in my opinion have deserved this review
5/5 - Excellent
4/5 - Very Good
3/5 - Good
2/5 - Bad
1/5 - Very bad
0/5 - Fuel for a fire

I went to a Vampire Weekend show last week, and I didn't see anything but straight couples. Not a single homosexual couple in sight. Using the term 'gay' just shows off a bigoted bias that is obviously off the mark.

OK forget it. Your right , IM wrong. The album still sucks alot of ass. That's not to say i dont think they could make something decent. They do seem like they have the chops, just no direction

Rocky Raccoon-

How were VW in concert?

Btw, I was embarrassed to see that I typed in an earlier posting "social stratus." No pun intended; I meant to type "stratum."

I'm glad to see that Kevin has dropped saying that the VW album is "gay" and now says only that it "sucks a lot of ass." We're making real progress here!

lol...I guess my opinion is now longer that (AN OPINION) I'll try from now on, to keep facts like : VW being gay sounding, to myself.

I'll just stick with my opinions and say that they just suck ass.

No more progress to be made...lmfao

I look forward to reading everyone's facts

Top 5 albums of the year so far :

1. Bryan Scary & The Shredding Tears - "Flight of the knife"
2. Roger Joseph Manning Jr. - "Catnip dynamite"
3. Goldfrapp - "Seventh tree"
4. The Black Crowes - "Warpaint"
5. The Brian Jonestown Massacre - "My bloody underground"

I listened to the REM album on the way to work and I have mixed feelings. Is it their best album in years? Yeah. Is it really great? No. It's a strong 3 stars out of 5. Is it an album casual REM fans (or fans of their early releases) will be listening to still in a year? I don't think so. So kudos to REM for finding their way again, but I still think it's a buy for fans only.

REM
The Breeders

They were pretty good, Mike. They started out with "Mansard Roof" and I thought they were a little stiff at first and was worried they were just going to play their songs in order from the album. But they mixed it up and warmed up pretty quickly, throwing in a cover and a couple of new songs.
It was pretty funny when they came out for an encore, the lead singer joked that there was only one song they hadn't played, and everyone in the crowd knew what it was. They then proceeded to do a crowd-pleasing version of "Walcott" to cap a good show.

The last thing we need is for Vampire Weekend to sound like Pavement or Tom Waits. Even mentioning these two in the same sentence as Vampire Weekend is a crime. They're not by favorite band in the world but they're certainly can't blow as hard as Pavement or Tom Waits.

I didnt say I wanted them to sound like Tom waits or pavement. I said they should listen to waits and pavement to maybe gets some ideas. The stouff there doing I find has no substance. Maybe something more hard edged like the bands Ive listed could have a good influence on them.

but if your saying that Vp has no room for improvment, then I wouldnt exactly be against you in that arguement

Here's what AllMusic thinks are the best albums of Q1 2008:

http://blog.allmusic.com/2008/4/3/q1-report-we-pick-the-best-of-2008-so-far/

These are all 4 or 4.5 stars rated, I assume. No big surprises, the suspected ones are all present in this list.

OK, some of you might be surprised that Nick Cave is not on the list. The whole album "Dig, Lazarus Dig!!!" is not documented in AllMusic ??

Maybe that album still has to be released in the US?

Yup, April 8th.

When all the reviews start to come. It will undoubtably be #1. I've read a vast majority of the reviews and all are extremely positve. Except for a very very slim few.

I actually just check the metacritic score of the album. It currently sits at 89% with one review under 80, and even that review seemed positive.

Thanks for that link Andre. I've been disappointed with Pitchfork's recommendations this year for the most part and Metacritic seems to have no system for when albums are added to the database or which albums are. At least there is a list to sift through now.

I like Santogold: S/T a lot. She's not as good as her friend MIA but it's still a solid album for those that liked Kala and Arular. There are differences in the two as well so it's not like it can be dubbed a weak MIA album. I got hooked on Starstruck and ended up liking the rest of the album for the most part.

I don't know if it will make my year end list though. I've been really disappointed with what I've heard this year and I've at least sampled everything that's been reviewed well. So, an album like Santogold or Malkmus are probably in my top 5, but I don't think they'd be anywhere near my top 10 list from 2007.

Portishead - Third has jumped into the lead as my favorite.